Industrial water cooling tower



May 19, 1959 F. c. KOCH INDUSTRIAL WATER COOLING TOWER Filed Sept. 20,1956 ff/ff" United States Patent Fred C.`Koch, Wichita,`Kans., assignorto Koch EngineervIilllg Company, Inc., Wichita, Kans., a corporation ofansas Application September 20, 1956, Serial No. 610,927 a lclaims. (cl.zen-24) `The present invention relates to an improved industrial'watercooling tower and is a continuation-in-part of my copending applicationSerial No. 544,284, tiled November 1, 1955.

f In substantially all industrial operations in which coolingwater isused, it is more economical to cool land reuse the warmed water ratherthan discard it to waste. Cooling .of the water is effected bycontacting it with unsaturated air. When water comes in contact with airhaving `a .wet bulbtemperature which is lower than the temperature ofthe air, the water is rapidly cooled by evaporation; Ifthe'unsatur-a-ted air is cooler than the water contacted,l the water isalso cooled by transfer of sensible heat to'the air. To provide thelargest water surface area possible for contact with the air, the warmwater is' finely subdivided or atomized by being sprayed through alnozzle into the cooling tower chamber.

' Industrial cooling towers are divided into two general classes. `Thefirst class is an atmospheric type and the second class is a mechanicaldraft cooling tower, in which mechanical means are employed for drawingor forcing air currents through the tower for purposes of cooling water.In the atmospheric type tower, air currents of the' surroundingatmosphere 4are employed for water cooling purposes. In the mechanicaldraft type, fan means are usually utilized for purposes of drawing in orforcing ajii-through the tower enclosure to contact water sprays whichare preferably composed of fine particles. In the mechanical draftcooling tower, it is desirable that the resistance to the flow of airthrough the tower be maintained at a minimum so as to insure a lowpressure drop across the tower. As a result, power consumption of thefan or other draft-creating means is maintained at a In my copendingapplication a cooling tower construction was disclosed in which spraymembers were disposed at opposed bottom side portions of a central opentop tower enclosure. Adraft inducing means, such as a fan, wasdisposedadjacent the upper end limit of the tower for purposes of withdrawingthe air yfrom within the tower and dispersing it to the surroundingatmosphere. 'lfhelrwater from the oppositely disposed sprays wasdirfected normally to the vertical axis of the tower. An airpermeablewater-deentraining section was disposed beneath the fan means in thetower for trapping any water entrained in the flowing air. j' In asecondtower construction disclosed, the sprayed water` was directed downwardlytoward the bottom of auxiliary ,spray chambers adjoining a central towerenclfoure' having a fan disposed in its open upper end portio "'Thelatter tower was in communication with the auxiliary chambers by meansof opposed tower openings jwhich an air-permeable water-deentrainingmaterial "disposed, `In each of these tower constructions the s'prayedwater covered distances of short length vand the air pulled into thetower followed an irregular ow path. I In accordance with the teachingsof this invention, it hsbeen found that by disposing the spraymeans in aICC mechanical draft-cooling tower in a predetermined manner, thecooling etliciency of the tower may be greatly increased. It has alsobeen found that by employing spray nozzles which produce sprays having apredetermined maximum included angle, the air flow and dependentefficiency of the tower is favorably affected.

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide an induceddraft-cooling tower which is simple in details of construction,inexpensive to erect and maintain, and highly eilicient in operation. j

It is another object of this invention to provide a cooling toweremploying spray members which are predeterminately disposed in such amanner so as to insure maximum cooling by the air currents flowingtherethrough.

It is yet another object of this invention to `provide an .industrialcooling tower employing predeterminately disposed baffle members whichassure efficient fluid flow of air through the tower.

, It is a still further object of this invention to provide anindustrial cooling tower employing nozzles which proi, duce sprayshaving a predetermined included angle, which angle insures maximum airilow and cooling eciency.

The above and other objects of this invention will become more apparentupon proceeding with the following description, read in the light of theaccompanying Vdrawing and the appended claims.

In one embodiment of the cooling tower provided, a vertical enclosure isprovided having an open upper end limit which is in direct communicationwith the surrounding atmosphere. The enclosure has oppositely disposedsides which are apertured; batteries of spray means are uniformlydisposed along these apertures. A fan means or other draft-inducingmeans is disposed adjacent the open upper end limit of the enclosure andhas, as its main function, the withdrawal of air from the underlyingtower passageway or enclosure for dispersal into the surroundingatmosphere. Air enters the provided enclosure by means of the oppositelydisposed apertures or openings in the side walls. `In the normal courseof operation, water is sprayed in an upward direction into the towerenclosure chamber through the spray means. The fan means continuallydraws air into the central tower chamber through the openings disposedin the opposed side walls during the course of the spraying operation.Each of the nozzle means of the spray means `is adapted to produce aspray having a predetermined included angle.

` Disposed in the upper portion of the tower chamber adjacent, butbelow, the fan means is a water-doentraining section, the purpose ofwhich is to prevent passage of tine water particles or mist, with themoving air currents, to the surrounding atmosphere. Thewater-deentraining 'section readily allows the passage of air currentsso as not to create a pressure drop of appreciable size in the tower andyet retains all water particles within the tower enclosure.

Centrally disposed in the tower enclosure between the opposedspray meansand substantially normally disposed to each of the spray batteries is `avertical plate or baille member, the purpose of which is to prevent theoccurrence of eddies in the central portion of the tower enclosurewhereby eiiicient How of the air through the tower is assured. The waterwhich emerges from the nozzle members is sprayed upwardly so that spraynozzles preferably ,form an angle of about between 30 and 45 degreeswith the vertical. After contacting the centrally ,disposed bafflemember, the sprayed water flows downwardly into an underlying collectingbasin which is in communication with apparatus requiring `use of thecooled water by means of an interconnected valved conduit. For a morecomplete understanding of this invention, reference should now be had tothe drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a fragmentary top plan View of` av cooling Patented May 19,1959-l tower made in accordance with the teachings of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a. vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, of thecooling tower illustrated in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of a portion of thewater-deentraining means utilized in the provided cooling tower; and

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of a portion of the water-deentrainingsection illustrated in Fig. 3.

Referring now to the drawing, and more particularly to Fig. 2, anindustrial cooling tower constructed in accordance with the teachings ofthis invention is illustrated. The tower comprises opposed wall members12 which are vertically disposed and which rest on an underlying basinportion 14 which, in effect, defines the bottom end limit of the coolingtower 1t). 1t will be noted that the opposed walls 12 are elongate (seeFig. l); their length which determines the tower size is in turndetermined by the desired cooling needs of the system with whichassociated.

The lower portion of each of the opposed tower walls 12 has an elongateopening 18 disposed therein which opening runs the length of each of thewalls. Disposed in the openings 18 at predetermined intervals are spraybatteries 29. As will be more clearly seen from Fig. l, the spraybatteries have ample space in-between, whereby air may freely enter intoa central tower chamber 22 in which the water cooling process iseffected.

As previously mentioned, the cooling tower provided is a mechanicaldraft tower and consequently employs a means for inducing air currentsto flow therethrough, such as a fan member 24, clearly shown at Figs. 1and 2. The fan members 24 are disposed at predetermined intervals alongthe length of the tower 10 adjacent the open upper end limit thereof(see Fig. l).

Interposed between the batteries 28 and the fan means Z4 arewater-deentraining sections 26 which are placed across the entire upperend portion of the tower 10. The water-deontraining sections 26 may besupported by channel member 28, such as are illustrated in Fig. 2, whichare in turn secured in their elevated position by means of angle members3) which are welded or otherwise suitably atiixed along the length ofthe wall members 12 of the tower.

The water-deentraining sections 28 are adapted to allow air currentswhich cool the sprayed water, as will hereinafter be explained ingreater detail, to readily pass therethrough into the surroundingatmosphere. However, the deentraining sections 28 will not permit water,even in tine particle, or mist, form to traverse the thickness thereof.Consequently, all water passing through the spray batteries 2t) remainsin the tower central chamber 22. There is negligible loss of water tothe atmosphere with the provided tower construction.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate means for housing vvater-deentraining material,such as glass wool, and enabling the latter material to be disposed in afixed position as illustrated in Fig. 2. Figs. 3 and 4 are fragmentaryviews of an expanded metal enclosing basket 32 in which compressed glasswool is inserted and secured. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the bottombasket portion 32 made of expanded metal to which a top cover portion 34of expanded metal may be secured, for instance, by means of wire 36.Thus, in the normal position of use, the glass wool which serves tofilter out water mist land yet enables air to pass therethrough is in adrm and secure position. The angular disposition of the twowater-decntraining sections 26 as illustrated in Fig. 2 is for theobvious purpose of providing maximum exposed surface area forwater-deentraining purposes.

vIn the normal course of tower operation, water enters each of the spraybatteries 2t) from a header 38 disposed along opposite wall portions 12of the tower. The latter headers are in turn in iluid communication withapparatus (not shown) utilizing cooling water. The Water from theheaders 38 enters the spray batteries 20 and emerges through nozzles 40disposed in each of the spray batteries. As is more clearly seen fromFig. 2, the nozzles 40 of each battery are -upwardly inclined so as tosend sprays of water into the tower chamber 22 in an upward direction.As a result of this latter nozzle disposition it is apparent that the.Water particles emerging from the nozzles 40 travel a greater distanceand consequently will be in contact with the cooling air currents for alonger period of time before reaching the central portion of the towerchamber as compared with water emerging from nozzles normally disposedto the vertical tower axis. The angular kdisposition .of the nozzles istherefore seen to be a critical factor in producing optimum towercooling efficiency.

In addition to a longer water-air contact, the upward angulardisposition of the nozzle members 40 facilitates the -iiow of air intothe tower chamber 22 through :the longitudinal openings 18 disposed inthe Vopposed side walls 12. The angular disposition of thenozzles,,there fore, not only insures longer air-water Contact,- bntv,l i n,

addition, by being directed upwardly, Ttends 4to.ir1du c,=.`.`faircurrents entering the tower chamber to also low'infan upward direction,thereby facilitating ,passage of vthe through the tower and reducingpressure .dropV and powgi er consumption of the draft-inducing ,means 24to a rnini` mum.

tower chamber 22 is in par-t caused yby the fans 24 also by the movementof the water from the nozzles 40 of the spray batteries in an upwardlydirection.

Disposed in the center of the tower ,chamber v22, parallel to theOpposed side walls 12, is a bathe member .44.

The latter bale precludes the formation of Pddies in ,the

central tower chamber which would form as a result of baffle member 44is illustrated as being flxedly'positioned as a result of being imbeddedin a foundation block 46, it should be noted at this time that thebaille member 44 may be removable from the central portion of thechamber.

batteries 20 disposed in one side wall aperture 18 be inactivated,allowing only opposed batteries ofy spray members to function. Suchbeing the case, there would be `no danger of eddics forming in thecentral portion Off the tower enclosure. Thus, if the bale member 44were removed, the sprays emerging from the nozzles 4.4 would be enabledto travel a still greater distance ,in the tower chamber, during whichtime they would CiQILSllIlt-l ly be cooled by the induced air currentsflowing into the side wall opening 18 to the upper open end ylimitof thetower. It should also be noted at this time that the illustrated towerconstruction may be constructed with batteries of spray members disposedalong lonly one side thereof. In such a tower design there would`obviously be no need for employing ,a centrally disposed` b ailemember. i

Positioned immediately above each of the opposed series of lspraybatteries is a trough .member 48'whieh is secured in fixed position bysupportingstltl` meI-lbls. Si) Iwhich are in turn secured to the `innersurfaces of each side lwall member 12. latter troughs 4S to obviate theformation of .eddies immediately `above the vspray members, therebyfacilitating air flow through the tower chamber. AIt is alfso asecondary function of these trough members 48 to prevent water ,owingdown lthe inner surfaces of the ,towerwalls from passing over the spraymembers and ,the opening 18 in each side wall. Each trough 4 8 connectsat either end limit with the underlying basin 14'of Vthe towerconstruction Which collects the cooled sprayed Water.

As previously mentioned, the tower wallsv 12 mayy It is, therefore, seenthat the ow of air through the;

The tower 1,0 could function without, thelcentrally disposed baillemember 44 should Athe lspnay It is the function of `these have anydesired length which conforms with the desired cooling capacity.Obviously, end walls 52, which are illustrated in Fig. 1, will bedisposed at end limits of every tower construction. The number of spraybatteries and fan members employed will, of course, be dependent uponthe tower length.

As has also been previously mentioned, the angular disposition of thespray nozzles 40 is of critical importance in `determining the eiciencyof the entire tower construction. By proper disposition of the nozzle,the distance which the sprayed water will travel is increased and theamount of cooling air which is drawn into the tower chamber by means ofthe sprayed water is maintained at a maximum. Consequently, the angle ofthe spray nozzles 40 insures long air-water contact and consequently acooler water product, and, in addition, facilitates the passage of airthrough the tower so that the pressure drop through the tower ismaintained at a minimum and the power requirements of the fan or otherdraft-inducing means is also maintained at a minimum.

Another tower design feature which will assist in the passage of airthrough the tower and consequently increase tower eiciency comprises theincluded angle of the water sprays emerging from each nozzle member 20.It is Ibelieved apparent that if the included angle of the `sprayedwater is too great, the formation of eddies rapidly takes place and, inaddition, the entrainment of air is reduced and the ow of air throughthe tower is rendered more difficult. By utilizing nozzle members 20 inwhich the included angle of the spray emerging from each nozzle memberis between 40 and 60 degrees, efciency of operation is assured in thatlarge volumes of air are entrained in the water, eddies are maintainedat a minimum, and ilow passage of `air currents is facilitated.

Thus it is seen that a water cooling tower which employs mechanicalmeans for inducing the llow of air currents therethrough has beenprovided which, although simple in details of construction, is advancedas being the most etcient of its type. By disposing the fan means at thetop of the tower recirculation of discharged moisture-laden air isminimized. There is no packing or other material disposed inthe centraltower chamber to obstruct free passage of air. Despite the absence ofpacking, however, the sprayed water is assured of long conceptsdisclosed. For instance, as above mentioned only one side wall of atower construction need have spray batteries. With such a construction,a central bae member is unnecessary. It is intended, therefore, thatthis invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims. f

I claim:

1. In a cooling tower, the combination comprising an enclosure havingopposed side openings in direct communication with the surroundingatmosphere, spray means arranged in batteries disposed in said opposedside openings for ejecting liquids to lbe cooled into said enclosure inan upward direction, the spray means of each battery being insubstantially the same vertical plane, said uid ejected from said spraymeans causing the atmosphere exterior of said enclosure and adjacentsaid spray means to` be induced to enter said enclosure, means forwithdrawing the atmosphere from within said enclosure arranged adjacentan upper end portion thereof and disposed substantially ntermediately ofsaid spray means battery planes, stop surface means against which theliquid sprays emerging from 4said spray means impinge disposed betweensaid spray means, said stop surface means being in substantiallyparallel relationship with said opposed spray means planes and locatedsubstantially intermediately of said spray means and in substantialvertical alignment with said atmosphere withdrawing means, substantiallyall of said liquid spray emerging from said spray means impingingagainst said stop surface means and descending to said enclosure bottomin sheet form whereby the formation of eddies by said liquid spray inthe center of said enclosure is substantially completely obviated, saidatmosphere induced to enter said enclosure owing over such liquid sheetsand proceeding upwardly through said enclosure upper end portion in asubstantially smooth continuous flow in the normal course of toweroperation unobstructed by spray and air eddy currents.

2. The tower as recited in claim 1 in which the sprayed liquids dene anangle of between about 45 and with the horizontal plane.

3. The tower as recited in claim 1 in which the included angle of eachof the liquid sprays ejected from said spray means is between about 40and 60.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,545,123 Burhorn July 7, 1925 2,022,740 Rowell Dec. 3, 1935 2,199,632Keyes May 7, 1940 2,247,514 Mart July 1, 1941 2,648,395 Pond Aug. 11,,1953 2,680,603 Taylor June 8, 1954 2,802,543 Clark Aug. 13, 1957FOREIGN PATENTS 11,321 Great Britain Apr. 10, 1897 of `1896

